Out and about in search of great buys.

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Monthly Archives: March 2013

I’ve found another way to extend a manicure and waxing is to take back the maintenance between salon visits. When an eyebrow waxing was $5 and a mani-pedi $15 I would treat myself to a combined treatment every 2-3 weeks. This led me to become very lax about taking care of my nails and own waxing between visits. With prices for this same combo going to almost $25-30 at some neighborhood nail salons I’ve decided to challenge myself and see how long I can go between visits.

I managed to buy some basic grooming aids at local 99 cent stores that are working out very well. The most I’ve spent has been on a cuticle cream by Sally Hanson. The total outlay for everything has been much less than one visit to the nail salon and I’m quite satisfied so far with the results.

Along with the other nailcare products I bought at local 99 cent stores, the Glitter Nail Files were a good choice. They aren’t as rough as a regular emery board making them good for use at any time, even every day or so. The glitter side is more ornamental and has little filing ability but I like these all the same. There is something very appealing about the sparkly aspect to using them.

Which cuticle cream to use is a matter of personal choice, but whatever you choose use it daily and push back the cuticles with an orange stick. You can use it to maintain a pedicure as well to prevent rough edges around the toes.

The Lucky Brand hand and body lotions are now going for $1.29-$1.49 at some local 99 cent stores. Pathmark Supermarket at the Fairmont Mini Mall has a 99 cents section with a good selection of these lotions. I use the lotion after each time I wash my hands to keep the skin from drying out. This, along with using the cuticle cream every day, has gone a long way to extend the life of my mani-pedi.

This manicure is almost three weeks old.

I’m very happy to report that taking the extra time out to attend to these little parts of my personal grooming routine has yielded good resuls. Considering the amount of hand sewing and crafting I do, the manicure you see still looks good even though it’s almost three weeks old.

This past Saturday was not as damp and cold as previous weeks. I had a chance to spend more time bargain hunting. I didn’t have any particular neighborhood targeted and no list of things I immediately needed. Which made the finds even better because the discoveries saved me at least $3 compared to what I would have spent on laundry detergent.

I’ve been very disappointed by the results of name brand liquid laundry detergents. The labels all proclaim that the product is super concentrated, super strength and has superior cleaning ability. These claims come along with prices of $3-7.00 for some brands, a price I find is difficult to pay when results are so mediocre. Whether I use hot, lukewarm or cold water the results are the same–my clothes do not come out fluffy and bright but dry flat and dull.

I decided to buy the Roma laundry detergent for 99 cents. The clothes were pre-treated with a non-cholrine bleach this time and then soaked in the Roma laundry detergent. There were lots of suds and when the towels had dried they definitely looked and felt much cleaner. According to the packaging Roma is bio-degradable and does not contain any phosphates. I will definitely buy this product again.

Doing the laundry has become a daily activity for me since I’m washing everything except blankets and large towels by hand. Then everything on a rack in the tub. This is a little time consuming but I persevere. By doing so I save about $10-15 a week instead of spending that much money at a laundromat.

In one of my next postings I will present other great laundry supplies available at 99 cent stores.
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Last Saturday I had several errands that took me back to Dyker Heights. I had some time to get a manicure and pedicure which was a special treat but won’t be something I’m going to do as often as I used to.

There are still some nail salons in Sunset Park where a basic mani-pedi still costs $15.00 but the going price at many Dyker Heights nail salons is now $18.99.

I decided that one of the best way to get by between manicures and haircuts is to take good care of my hair and nails at home.

Just Basic Ponytail Holders. Price: $1.19

At the No. 1 Discount Store on 72nd Street and 13th Avenue, I got these bright ponytail bands that I’ll use to pull my hair back as it grows out of a short haircut.

Bath Body Deluxe Beauty Set. Price: $1.99

I also bought the Bath Body Deluxe Beauty Set since I need to do more work between pedicures on my own. Very few salons are using the razor anymore so I will scrape away dry, rough skin myself. There are salons that have a special exfoliant gel that they will use in combination with a pumice stone to scrape away dry skin. But at the cost of an extra $3.00 it will bring the cost of the mani-pedi plus tip to a total of around $25. I’ve decided to keep that extra money in my purse.

Pride 3 Pack Nail Brushes. Price: $1.19

I also bought these nail brushes that are just right for when I start using a cuticle remover cream.

I figure that by doing a little more maintenance I can extend the time between a mani-pedi to about 4 weeks. And as far as hair styling goes, I’m going to see how long I can go between visits to a professional. Hair coloring, conditioners and root touch-up kits are new items on my bargain hunting list.

The continuing cold weather and storm watches over the past month have curtailed my bargain hunting expeditions. I cannot wait for the warner weather so I can get out again on weekends and continue my bargain hunting.
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